3 Worlds Beyond the Gate
by ElricSisters7
Summary: Ed and Envy found have found themselves trapped and separated in the wizarding world. Envy is held captive, and Ed is posing as a Hogwarts student, despite his lack of magic.
1. Dream from Beyond the Gate

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Hi everyone! Glad to see that all our wonderful readers are so anxious to get started on the story, but this will only take a minute.**

**First: My co-writer and I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, or Harry Potter (however much we wish we did)**

**Second: This will contain Ed Roy slash, so if that's not your thing, go look for reading material elsewhere.**

**Third: Disregard Conquerers of Shambala. This fanfic begins at the end of the anime.**

**Fourth: ENJOY!**

Chapter 1

_When Roy Mustang came to, the first thing he did was take note of his surroundings. Bradley: dead. Fletcher: dead. Child: unknown. Hawkeye: sobbing. Self: ouch. Ed and Al: Oh Shit, Ed and Al! The last time he had seen Ed was out the window of the car driving away. At the time, he had known the boy was up to something incredibly stupid and dangerous, but at the moment, he had his own issue to take care of. However, now he was worried, very worried._

_He blinked his right eye open, the left would never see again, to look at the woman bent over him. "I'm fine Hawkeye," he said, but the words were slurred by pain, revealing that he was not so fine after all._

_"Sir?!?" Hawkeye blinked several times in shock. "Sir, I thought you were dead! We need to get you to a hospital right away!"_

_"No, first we need to find the Elric brothers."_

_"But you are seriously hurt. You need medical attention."_

_"They may very well be worse off then me! And they are just children."_

_Riza shook her head but in defeat. She knew well that arguing with Roy in one of these moods was completely pointless. She rallied for one last attempt. "But what about the boy? He needs help too."_

_"Yes, he does. You take him to the hospital, and I'll go after Ed and Al and bring them back."_

_Hawkeye sighed. "No, no, I'm going with you. At least let me bandage your wounds first, and then we'll give the boy to a patrol."_

* * *

_Roy regarded the staircase leading down from the Alter with distaste. Already he couldn't walk on flat ground without leaning on Hawkeye for support. He doubted stairs would be fun._

_Hawkeye looked at him as if she had read his mind. "Maybe you should just wait here sir. I'll bring back the Elrics."_

_"No." _

"_Sir, there could be something dangerous down there, and you're in no fighting condition."_

"_I'm not staying behind, Hawkeye. Whether you come with me or not is your choice, but I'm going." He couldn't sit here and do nothing, worrying if the boys were alright or not. He took a limping step forward toward the entrance, forcing Hawkeye to decide fast. She glared at the back of his head, deciding the man lacked a basic survival instinct, but shifted her pace to match his._

_The stairs were long, dark and narrow, barely wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side. Roy fought the urge to wince with every step, every shift of his body aggravating already unpleasant wounds. In several places he could feel blood soaking through the makeshift bandaging. Worst was over his eye, where he could feel a warm, wet trickle making its way down his cheek like a single red tear._

_The relief when they reached the bottom of the stairs was palpable, but it disappeared just as quickly. "How are we ever going to find them in all of this?" Asked Hawkeye, eyes scanning the still, cold city buried before them._

_Roy opened his mouth to retort that they would just have to search, when a bright blue light spilled out from the open doors of a large building in the center of the underground city. Roy's eyes widened and Hawkeye drew in a breath before using her free hand to take her gun from its holster._

"_Put that away, it's Ed."_

"_Sir, you don't know that. It could be a trap."_

"_No, it has to be Ed. I know it."_

_Riza sighed and reluctantly slid the weapon away. The things she did for Mustang._

_They limped down another set of stairs and through the streets, always heading for the building from which they had seen the flash._

_The doors stood stories high, allowing a full view of the giant hall onto which they opened. The first thing Roy noticed was the stage and balconies on the walls. _When this place was alive, it must have been a theater_ he thought. The second thing he noticed was the small form crumpled on the floor, curled in on itself so only the back and a few strands of golden hair could be seen. His heart skipped beat, thinking he was too late. But the figure twitched so slightly that if he hadn't been staring so hard he would have missed the movement. "He's still alive!" Roy exclaimed and shuffled forward as fast as his injuries would allow._

_When the pair had almost reached the boy, Hawkeye suddenly flung an arm in front of Mustang, forcing him to halt. Roy glared at her with as much force as he could muster with only one eye. "Sir, look at the floor."_

_Grudgingly he looked down toward his feet, so see the complex array drawn there.  
"We don't know what that circle does sir," said Hawkeye as way of explanation. "It could be a trap."_

"_Not without an alchemist to activate it," he replied absentmindedly, his attention on the designs at his feet. It was not an array he had seen before, but some elements were familiar. Here were a few runes used in a human transmutation, and here was what looked like a replica of Al's blood seal. He looked at the boy positioned in the exact center of the array, an idea tickling the edge of his mind. It had to be Ed, but no, the hair wasn't long enough, and the body too short (not that he would ever admit that to Ed)_

_Roy sucked in a breath, all the pieces coming together. "That's not Ed, that's Al! He must have given himself to the gate in exchange for his brother." He began to sway, shock, exhaustion, injury and blood loss finally catching up with him._

"_Sir?" Hawkeye stepped forward to catch her commanding officer as he fainted._

* * *

_Roy opened his eye on blinding white. He wondered if he was dead. But if he was dead, why did he still hurt all over? He blinked several times, the whiteness evolving into walls, a ceiling and a window pouring in sunlight. He could feel heavy bandages all over his body, and sheets below him. _I must be in the hospital.

_"You're awake, sir?" Asked Hawkeye, her voice floating off to his left, positioned right in his new blind spot. He turned his head so he could see her._

_"What happened?" he croaked._

_"You fainted, sir." Hawkeye helped him to sit up and handed him a glass of water._

_He gulped it down before asking, "And what about Al?"_

_"He's here, in a different ward."_

_"And has he woken up yet?"_

_"No." She paused. "The doctors don't think he will."_

_Roy swore. Al _had _to wake up or Ed giving himself to the damned gate would be for nothing. "I want to go see him."_

_"I don't think the doctors would want you out of bed yet sir."_

_"But there should be someone he knows there when he wakes up."_

_"He knows me, sir. I'll go stay with him if you want."_

_"No. It will give me a perfect excuse to be out of this confounded hospital bed. You know how much I hate not being able to do anything."_

_Riza sighed. She did know how much he hated it. "Alright sir, but if you faint again, the doctors will skin you alive."_

_"So good you see it my way." Roy threw off the covers and made a noise of disgust. He was dressed in a hospital gown; so unflattering._

_Correctly interpreting his annoyance, Hawkeye pointed to the chair on the other side of the bed, which had his folded military uniform on it, and left the room so he could have some privacy._

_He moved his legs over the side of the bed, and paused for a moment. The motion made him slightly dizzy, but not too badly. He levered himself up, doing his best to ignore his body's complaints. He put one hand to his chest, deciding he must have a pierced lung. _It could be worse _he told himself _he could have pierced your heart, and then you'd be done for.

_Getting ready gave Roy time to get used to his pain, so when he opened the door to find Hawkeye he stood straight and only had a slight limp. The woman in question was lounging against the wall, but stood up when she saw him, and immediately offered an arm for him to lean on. She raised an eyebrow when he shook his head and walked away on his own._

_Riza stifled a chuckle and tapped lightly on his shoulder. "It's this way sir."_

_He turned and followed her, saying, "I knew that."_

_Almost right away they were stopped by a nurse who insisted he should not be out of his bed. The next told him he was putting too much stress on his body, and would cause all his wounds to reopen. The third practically ordered him back to his room. He waved each off with a reassurance and a wink, the fact that they were all pretty young girls not lost on him._

_Roy pushed open the door to Al's room. The small boy was lying very still on his back, the only hint that he was alive in the tiny rise and fall of his chest. Roy walked to the edge of the bed and stared down, curious. For all he had know him for 5 years, he had never seen the boy's face before this. He was surprised at how much Al looked like a younger version of Ed. Both boys had the same golden-blonde hair, and their faces were similar, but Al's were softer._

_He felt a prickling at the corner of his eye at the thought of Ed. Roy hadn't realized how much he would miss him until he was gone. The kid drove him crazy, but he had to admit, having the Fullmetal Alchemist around had never been boring._

_Roy didn't know how long he stood there, just looking at the boy. His injuries were starting to bother him, and he was about to admit he should go back to his room, as much as he didn't want to, when Al stirred. _Ha, take that doctors_ he thought, as the boy blinked his eyes open._

_"Where am I?" asked Al in a quiet, raspy voice that sounded as if it hadn't been used in years._

_"You're in the hospital, in Central."_

_"Central, I think I've heard of it. Why am I in Central? And where's my brother?"_

_Roy blinked several times in surprise, before wondering. "Al, what do you remember?"_

_"Who are you? Why do you know my name?" His voice was rising as he became more and more upset. "Where's Ed?"_

_Roy exchanged a glance with Hawkeye. So he really didn't remember. Roy's brain started whirring fast. If Al didn't remember anything, how much should he tell him? Should he even know what had happened? And what should he be told about Ed? Roy suspected Ed was trapped permanently, and Al might do something stupid if he knew his brother was alive out there._

_The solution came to him in a flash and a squeeze to his heart. To prevent Al from doing anything rash, he had to think Ed was dead. And it might be best if everyone else thought that too._

_"What's going on? Where's Ed? Someone tell me!"_

_Roy gulped down the lump in his throat, and said in his most professional manner to disguise the shake in his voice. "I am sorry to inform you that your brother, Edward Elric, has been dead five years."_

_Al's eyes widened and he began to shake before he broke down in tears._

_Roy bit his lip to prevent himself from crying too; watching Al cry over his brother was too sad. If the story was to work, he wasn't supposed to know Ed, much less be upset he was dead._

_Once the sobs had subsided a bit, Al mumbled brokenly, "So that's… it then. Mother… father… brother, they are… all gone. I'm… alone."_

Edward Elric shot straight up in bed as soon as the dream released him. He rubbed at the tears on his cheeks. "Thanks a lot colonel." he mumbled sarcastically. When he got back, he would have to beat Mustang to a pulp for making Al cry like that. And now his brother thought him dead. "That will complicate things."

* * *


	2. Brother Bonding

A/N HELLO EVERYONE! THANKS TO ALL OUR FABULOUS READERS! WE'RE EXCITED TO PRESENT THE SECOND CHAPTER. HOPE YOU LIKE! ~**ALI and KAY**

WE DO NOT OWN FMA (no matter how much we wish we did), BUT WE DID BORROW FROM IT; THE WORDS AND ACTIONS IN **BOLD **ARE TAKEN DIRRECTLY FROM THE ANIME.

* * *

Chapter 2

Homunculus: little man, poor creature, mortal. –_Harper Collins Latin Concise Dictionary_.

Ed turned over to face the wall, then back to the room, before finally settling on his back with a growl. He tossed his makeshift automail arm over his eyes to shade them from the moonlight streaming through the window.

"Argh!" he exclaimed, and gave up on sleep. The dream had left him both happy and sad, but mostly confused. Despite the fact he was still exhausted, he couldn't calm down enough to drop off again.

So instead he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, the left one making a loud noise as metal hit the floor. Ed winced, he had gotten enough grief from their downstairs neighbors about the noise. He snagged a hairbrush and ribbon from his nightstand before tromping out into the hall. _At least you know Al's alive _he thought, running the brush through his long blond locks. _But he thinks you're dead _said the part of him determined to see the glass half-empty. _Shut up_ he told it. Then, "Shut up," to the homunculus chuckling at him from the living room couch.

"But it's just so funny how you spend the same amount of time on your hair as a girl."

Ed chucked the brush at Envy's head before tying off his braid and heading into the kitchen. Even now he had a hard time believing he was working with the homunculus. Their truce had happened under rather unusual conditions:

**

_Ed felt himself pitched out of the sky and hurtled down toward the rapidly approaching ground with a yell. He landed with an unpleasant smack, and had to force himself to stay conscious. "Ouch," he moaned, then, "What the hell?" he really expected to be dead, fully and completely, not pitched back through into a different world._

_"You're telling me that!" exclaimed a rather muffled voice. It took Ed a moment to determine where it was coming from, before rolling off of the body rather effectively squashed below him._

_He stood up, ready to make a hasty apology. But then he recognized the belly shirt and long green hair. Any thoughts of apologizing flew out of his head as he stared in shock at the homunculus._

_Envy stood and dusted himself off. He smirked at Ed. "Look who survived."_

_"Yeah, no thanks to you! You killed me!" he shouted._

_"But you're alive now, so no hard feelings right?"_

_"NO. HARD. FEELINGS." Ed said through gritted teeth. "YOU FUCKING KILLED ME!"_

_Envy glared daggers at Ed, fury showing on his face. Ed took a step back, every instinct screaming at him to run, that there was danger nearby._

_Envy stalked forward until they were an inch apart. "I killed you, well you replaced me," he hissed._

_Ed clenched his fists and made himself stand his ground and look the homunculus in the eye. Holding his gaze, he told Envy, "I never knew. I never meant to replace you. If it's any consolation, I hate that bastard Hoenhiem just as much as you do."_

_"But he's your father isn't he? You had everything that was supposed to be mine! You had a family that loved you; a mother, a father, and a brother."_

_"Loved us?" Ed gave a humorless laugh. "He left us. He didn't even care enough about us to come to our mother's funeral. He's no father of mine."_

_Envy stepped back, surprised by the malice in Ed's voice. "You hate him? Then I guess we're not so different after all."  
"You know, we are stuck here. We might as well stick together. We are family after all."_

_"Family?" Envy questioned. "You're willing to accept a homunculus as family?"_

_Ed smiled. "Why not? Stranger things have happened… I think. Anyway, technically you are my older brother." He turned away. "Come on, let's go find out where the hell we are."_

_Envy followed after Ed, a true smile on his face for the first time in centuries._

**

Ed sighed heavily. Some things would take getting used to. And the recognition of Envy as his brother, well that was proving to be quite difficult. It was hard to see someone who was once an enemy as anything but an enemy. "Any new ideas?" he asked, hearing the homunculus saunter into the kitchen.

"Maybe one. Just a thought though. Probably insane."

"When has insanity ever stopped you before?" Ed didn't have to turn from where he was eying an empty cabinet with distaste to see Envy glare. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, telling him the homunculus was displeased. It had become a great mood meter for his new brother. Instinct recognized danger when a homunculus was angry. Before Envy could boil over and do something rash, as Ed knew he could, he told him, "I'm teasing you."

"Teasing?"

"That Dante really didn't have much of a sense of humor, did she?" Ed gave up on his food search and plopped down at the kitchen table. "Alright, hit me with it."

"Dante used that kid to open the gate because kids have a connection to it."

"Yeah, so? And if you say I'm small enough to pass for a kid, I'll personally make sure you die a slow and painful death, no matter how long that may take!"

"Well, I've been thinking, you should have a connection with the gate too. It does have part of you in it," Envy gestured to Ed's automail.

"Whatever connection, I may have with the damn thing, I still can't do alchemy."

"Maybe you need to remind it of that connection."

Ed raised an eyebrow, more than slightly worried by the cunning glint in the homunculus's eye.

* * *

Ed carefully picked his way through the spare-bedroom-turned-study, doing his best not to disturb anything. He was sure that if touched, the books stacked taller than him would collapse, burying him underneath. "Move those," he ordered Envy, "I need somewhere to draw."

"But can't you just," Envy mimed clapping his hands.

"Maybe, but I'll have a better chance with a transmutation circle." Ed quickly drew a basic array in the space cleared for him and dumped a stack of paper in the middle.

Envy dropped a kitchen knife at Ed's feet. "Go on then," he said when the little alchemist hesitated, "Or is the Fullmetal afraid of a little finger poke."

Ed considered the merits of giving his brother the middle finger. "The last time I used my blood in alchemy things didn't turn out so well."

**

_**"Just hold out your finger, OK." Ed said to his concerned little brother. He handed Al a knife, and held tight onto one of his own. Both boys slit their fingers and held them out over the tray containing the ingredients of the human body. "What's a soul really? When you take out the myth, it's just the spark that starts life." The twin drops fell into the tray. "This is our blood, from her blood. That's a fair trade."**_

**

It wasn't a memory Ed particularly liked to think about. _This is different_ he told himself. _It's simple alchemy, and the worst that will happen is it won't work._ He picked up the knife and slit his finger. "Here goes nothing." He placed his hands on the array.

A blue glow filled the room. It startled Ed, who leaped backward from the design before the transmutation could take effect.

"What did you do that for? It almost worked."

Recovering from his shock, Ed knelt by the circle and slapped his palms on it again, longing to see his alchemy work for the first time since coming through the gate. The chalk lines flared blue, and the paper inside began to shift and change. A smile split his face as he ended the reaction, revealing the miniature figure inside.

The smile faded as he looked at what he had created: a perfect likeness of Al asleep in the hospital bed in Central. Ed bit his lip, trying not to cry, as he remembered Al's broken sobs and conviction that his only remaining family was dead.

"That's what your brother really looks like, isn't it." Envy said with no sympathy, stating it like a fact.

"Yeah." Ed scuffed out the transmutation circle with the toe of his boot and scooped up the figurine. He thought of how Al would have immediately noticed the restrained tears and placed an armored hand on his brother's shoulder. Ed's resolve hardened. He had found a way to access alchemy and, damn it, he would make that gate open again and let him go back home to Al. He closed his hand carefully around the likeness, making sure he didn't damage it. "This is it Envy. We're going home."

* * *

Contrary to Ed's determined words, they did not make it back that day; they didn't even attempt to open the gate. He had ordered Envy to get rid of all of the books on physics and chemistry, and planted himself at the desk.

The next morning Envy found Ed still at the desk in the workroom, snoring into his notes. Envy glanced over the scattered papers and decided he was glad most homunculi couldn't do alchemy. It seemed like far too much work. He shook the alchemist's shoulder, saying, "Wake up little brother."

Ed came too instantly and leaped to his feet, grabbing the hand on his shoulder and twisting. Envy nearly went flying out the window. Ed's eyes widened as he looked at the homunculus sprawled on the floor. "Sorry!"

"What the hell was that for?"

Ed shrugged. "I've lead a dangerous life; it's just a reflex reaction."

Envy grumbled something that sounded like a curse under his breath as he picked himself up. "You're lucky I like you now or you'd already be dead." He put a hand on the blond head and spun it around before marching Ed out the door. "If you're going to pass out, at least do it somewhere where you won't drool all over your notes."

"But I'm really close," Ed whined. "If you let me keep going, we could go through today. And I'm not all that tired." He covered a yawn, contradicting his words.

Envy pushed Ed through his bedroom door. "Yes you are. And if you come out before having a nice long sleep, I'll know." Envy slammed the door in his brother's face. It sometimes surprised even him how attached he'd become to the little blond. It had been the offer of family; it had shocked the hell out of Envy, and, he thought, Ed too. But the boy had stuck to his word, no matter how strange it seemed, and that is what gave Ed credit in the homunculus's mind. Envy's father had made him to replace his dead son, but in true Hoenhiem fashion, didn't stick around. Dante was his mother, but she only treated him like a pawn. However, Ed treated him like a brother, despite all that had happened between them in the past.

* * *

"Alright, that should do it." Ed sat back on his heels and wiped the chalk of his hands, leaving white prints on his black pants. The giant array took up the entire small room. They had moved everything out to make room, yet Envy still ended up crammed into one corner, Ed another.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Have a little confidence, will you. I am the great Fullmetal after all."

"But you spent such a _short_ amount of time on it." Envy dragged out the word 'short', quite amused by how Ed steamed.

"Say one more thing about my height and I'll strand you here."

Envy raised his hands and grinned in mock defeat. "So, what do I have to do for all of this?"

"Just this," Ed said, taking up the knife and cutting each of his flesh fingers open. They had discovered that the more complex the transmutation, the more blood needed to activate it.

"But I'm not an alchemist. Why does it need my blood?"

"It might not, but I'm erring on the side of caution here. We have to make sure you're incorporated into the reaction, or you could get left behind."

Ed tossed the knife across the room, and Envy caught it from the air, careful to not let it land on the transmutation circle. He quickly sliced open all of his fingers and held up his bloody hands with a smile. "Ready?"

"More than ready."

The brothers slapped their palms to the floor, and blue energy crackled out from around Ed. It raced along the chalk lines and enveloped them both. The scene around them began to shift and change, but Ed could only see colors through the blue light streaks printed on his vision.

Then Envy was gone, and the colors resolved themselves into shapes, revealing a place obviously not Amestris. _Damn it, _he thought, _that's the third time the Gate has played me like a fool._ Everything around him faded to black.


	3. Potions Master

AN: Hi to all our fabulous readers! Here's the next chapter we hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: We do not own either Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter *sigh*

* * *

Chapter 3

Alchemy- a form of chemistry and speculative philosophy practiced in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and concerned principally with discovering methods for transmuting baser metals into gold and with finding a universal solvent and an elixir of life. –

The first thing Ed noticed was the cold. It bit into him from every angle, and made the flesh scream in protest where it connected with automail. He shivered, and made to wrap his arms around his torso for warmth. The metal hand obeyed, but the other remained motionless. His limbs felt heavy as lead, and his muscles as strong as noodles.

He opened his eyes and blinked several times until the scene around him solidified and blurred edges became defined. He was lying on his back in a small room made from stone. He had seen a few similar places, but he was convinced this was not Amestris. The thought was confirmed when he tilted his head to take in surroundings and caught sight of the figure near the door to the room. The man was dressed in a long black coat and had a slim, wooden stick pointed at Ed as if it was a weapon.

_What the hell? _Ed thought. It was not typical behavior or dress for anywhere he had been or read about.

"Who are you?" Asked the man.

"I could ask the same thing."

Something flickered behind the man's eyes. Ed couldn't entirely identify it. "You work for the Dark Lord."

Ed's brow wrinkled in confusion. He had known a few pissy higher-ups in the Amestrian military, but none of them bad enough to be called a dark lord. Then he thought of Mustang, who with his black hair and eyes could be described as dark. But he imagined this man meant evil. Mustang might be a bastard, but he wasn't _that _bad. "Dark Lord?"

"You have the Dark Mark. You must be a servent of the Dark Lord."  
"_Servant! _ I'm no ones servant. What's a Dark Mark?"

"The tattoo on your arm, it's a Dark Mark." The man pulled up his own sleeve to show a tattoo of a snake around a skull on the inside of his wrist.

Ed could see how his tattoo could be mistaken to be the same thing. "This is was my teacher's symbol."

**

_"Of all of your crazy ideas, you had to want a tattoo." Envy said to his brother._

_ Ed, who was looking in the window of the tattoo parlor, looked green around the edges. His metal hand threatened to destroy the page on which the design was drawn. "It's a reminder. It will remind me of Al, and our search for the stone, and Izumi Sensei, and how we can't give up trying to get home."_

_ "You have the same symbol on your coat. Isn't that enough of a reminder?"_

_ "Clothes can get destroyed. Plus, I can't wear my coat here. It's bright colored and Amestrian style. We want to blend in, and my coat sticks out." Ed pushed open the door, flinching slightly at the tingle of the bell as he entered the shop._

_ "What can I do for you boys?" Asked a big man with tattoos all over his bare arms._

_ "I want a tattoo."_

_ "That much is obvious enough. Do you know what you want?"_

_ Ed unfolded the crumpled paper and showed it to the man. It depicted a snake twined about a cross topped by a crown and pair of wings._

_ "Should be doable," the tattoo artist told him and led him to a chair. Ed gulped and flinched as the man pulled out the needle._

_ "Ed, you are an idiot," Envy told him flatly. "How are you supposed to get a tattoo when you're terrified of needles?"  
"I _am_ getting the tattoo. You may have to hold me down though."_

_ Work ground to a halt in the shop as tattoo artists and patrons alike turned to watch the scene. They were amused by the small blond boy who twitched and struggled, and alternated between gritting his teeth and cursing the air blue while his odd companion held his left arm still so the artist could work._

_ When the two emerged from the shop, Ed commented, "well, that wasn't so bad was it?"_

_ "Tell that to them." Envy pointed back at the exhausted looking tattoo artist and dumbstruck customers._

**

The man bent closer to examine his arm. A puzzled expression crossed his face. "That looks just like the symbol used by the alchemist Nicolas Flamel."

"That's because it is."

The man nodded his head, convinced the tattoo wasn't the Dark Mark, and offered a hand to help him up. Ed grasped it with his automail hand; his flesh arm was still too tired to lift. The man's eyes widened as his palm connected with cold metal. Ed readied himself for a bout of questions; it was the typical reaction when people realized he had a metal limb. _What a day to forget my coat_ he thought to himself.

The man hauled Ed to his feet, then dropped his hand as if it was a hot coal, and pointed his stick at Ed's chest once more.

"What _now_?"

"You lied. You do work for the Dark Lord. He replaced a man's hand with something that looks just like that."

Ed sighed. "I don't know anything about this Dark Lord you keep talking about. And it's no big deal he replaced a guy's hand. Any good automail mechanic could do the same. I've met hundreds of them."

"What's automail?"

"It's a mechanical device that looks and works like human body parts. I lost my arm in an, um, accident when I was younger." Ed held up his arm for the man to get a closer look.

The man slipped his stick back into his sleeve and examined the joints on Ed's hand with interest. "This shouldn't be working. Nothing that uses electricity works here."

"It doesn't run on electricity. It's connected to my nerves and powered by impulses from my brain; just like a normal limb, the only difference is the impulses have to be stronger."

"I've never heard of such a thing before. Just where are you from?"

"Amestris."

The man looked at him like he was crazy. "There is no such place as Amestris."

"Where are we then?"

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in England."

Ed's suspicions were confirmed. He wasn't back in his world; the Gate had just dumped him somewhere else. The thought struck him that there were more than two world's connected to the Gate. He decided he had better fess up. He launched into his tale, omitting only the human transmutation that put Al in the armor and the brothers on their quest for the Philosopher's Stone. He figured if this man knew of alchemy, he knew of the taboo.

When he finished his story, the man looked confused and amazed. "You did this all with alchemy you say?"

"Yes."

"I've never heard of an alchemist doing something of the sort before."

"Believe me, not many people have. Alright, I spilled, now it's your turn. Who is this Dark Lord you keep talking about?"

By the time the man had finished his story, Ed was completely unbalanced. The Dark Lord didn't surprise him; he had taken out enough jerks to not be surprised by such people anymore. What sent his mind reeling was the idea of magic. It went against everything he had ever learned, every principle of alchemy, including equivalent exchange. The concept that a person could just wave a stick and have exactly what they want happen, without giving anything for it, stunned him to the core. His scientific mind was already scrambling for a logical explanation, and blanching as it came up blank.

The man sighed, "I should probably take you to Dumbledore, but I can't at the moment. I'm working on a new potion, and I should be getting back to it." He turned and walked out the door, twitching two fingers behind him for Ed to follow.

Ed fell into step behind the man. "By the way, I'm Edward Elric."

"Severus Snape."

They went a short way down a stone passage lit by torches before turning into another room. Ed found himself faced by rows of empty stone benches and desks. There was a chalkboard at the front of the room, and a teacher's desk. A cauldron bubbled over a small flame, and notebooks, loose sheets of paper and vials of ingredients were neatly arranged on the stone top.

"Sit there," said Snape, gesturing to a chair pushed into the corner behind the desk, "and don't touch ANYTHING."

Ed slumped into the chair with a scowl and crossed his arms. _He's treating me like a stubborn child who will break anything I touch. _Ed didn't stay upset for long; he was too curious about what Snape was doing. He scanned the notes on the table with interest, noting the equations and lists of ingredients. He couldn't help but smile; it reminded him of alchemy.

"What is all of this?" Ed gestured to the vials. "I've never heard of any of it. What does it do?"

"I wouldn't expect a child to understand the intricacies of fine potion making," Snape said, not once looking up from his work.

Ed raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? Try me. Ask me the elemental composition of any non-magical object in this room."

Snape sighed and turned to face Ed. "Alright, what makes up the average adult human body?"

Ed couldn't help but laugh. _Oh the irony…_ he thought.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Ed said with one last chuckle. "35 liters of water; 20 kilograms of carbon; 4 liters of ammonia; 1.5 kilograms of lime; 800 grams of phosphorus; 250 grams of salt; 100 grams of saltpeter; 80 grams of Sulfur; 7.5 grams of fluorine; 5 grams of iron; 3 grams of silicon; and trace amounts of 15 other elements."

Snape's eyes widened. He was more than impressed. Most of his students didn't even know one of those numbers, much less the entire composition. "I suppose I can tell you, but don't expect me to go back if you get lost."

Ed nodded and Snape launched into a detailed description of all the ingredients on his desk and their properties. Ed absorbed every word. _It's not alchemy, but similar. In fact, more similar to chemistry, and I studied plenty of that trying to get home. Except with ingredients like _this_, that do so many different things, a potion could be made for just about anything._

"You got lost, didn't you?" Snape asked with a smirk, seeing the look of deep thought on Ed's face.

"No, not at all," he mumbled, his eyes flicking quickly over a sheet of notes. "What is this potion for?"

"It's for third degree burns. Right there," Snape tapped his finger on a line of his notes, "I thought I almost had it. But I'm stuck again."

"I can see that. You're mistake is here." He pointed out the place. "You added too much, negating the overall effects. I would add in," he paused for a moment, quickly doing the calculation in his head, "3.8 more grams of this," he placed a finger on an ingredient whose name he could never hope to pronounce, "and that should bring it back to where you were before."

"I am reluctant to trust the advice of someone who has never brewed a potion before in his life."

Ed scowled. "Just try it. You should know for yourself that it won't make the potion explode, or melt your cauldron, or any other nasty side effect."

Snape reluctantly measured out the ingredient. He dumped it into the mixture, and then turned to his notes. He hastily scribbled in the margins, marking the new addition in his formula. The potion's master drew in a startled breath as the results came out correct.

"Hate to say it, because it's so cliché, but I told you so." Ed leaned back against the wall. _Third degree burns huh? Would have been useful to have around when Mustang decided to cook people extra crispy. _He smiled, remembering numerous occasions on which Roy's temper got the best of him, resulting in a snap and burst of flame. _We argued all the time, but I miss the pyromaniac. Things aren't as exciting without him around._

Ed shook his head to clear it. He didn't like thinking about home too much; it just made him depressed. Instead he studied the new writing. "Do you have a pen?" Snape handed him a quill and inkwell. He dipped the quill and bent over the page, making tiny notes on the edges of the paper. "What do you think about this?" He asked, handing it back.

Snape took the page and scanned through the additions. "I'm impressed. Most of this does have some potential to work. However, I do have to say I am somewhat glad not all of it is correct. I don't think my pride could take it if I was out done at potions by such a small boy."

"WHO YOU CALLIN' SO SMALL HE COULD FIT INTO ONE OF THE VIALS!" Ed burst out.

Snape took a step back, startled, and drew his wand. For a moment the fuming alchemist and slightly frightened wizard stared each other down. Then Snape started laughing, causing said alchemist to fume more, and put away his wand. "A bit touchy about your height I see."

"Maybe," Ed mumbled quietly under his breath, and then said loud enough to hear, "Don't ever mention it again or I'll transmute you into something nasty."

"I thought you said alchemy didn't work in other worlds."

Ed shrugged, "I don't know about here. I haven't had a chance to try yet." The corners of his mouth twitched up. "No better time than the present." He clapped his hands together, and a grin of delight split his face as the blue glow of alchemy raced through his hands and through his metal arm into a perfect, razor-sharp blade.

Snape took another step back, and the wand emerged once more.

"Skittish, are we?" Ed asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not going to hurt you." He clapped and transmuted his arm back to prove his point.

"These are dangerous times. I'm sure you have seen a few yourself, if the first thing you think to create is a weapon."

"Yeah."

There was a pause before Snape returned to making his potion while Ed watched from the side, occasionally making suggestions or voicing questions. Eventually Snape put down his quill from making another note and said to Ed, "This could benefit from stewing for a few hours. In the mean time, I suggest we search out some food."

Ed's stomach sat up on its hind legs and _begged_. "Yes please!" he said quickly, before heading for the door.

Snape flicked his wand at the flame under the cauldron, which lowered down to half its original height, before taking long strides to catch up with Ed, who was almost at the door. "You know, I've been wondering," he began as he fell into step beside the young alchemist, "how did you get here from the other world if alchemy didn't work there as you say?"

"Well, my brother Envy and I figured out a way to activate single transmutations…" he trailed, off, stopping in his tracks, eyes wide.

Snape, who had kept walking, noticed Ed wasn't there anymore and backtracked to where the boy appeared to be frozen. "What's the matter?"

"Envy," Ed whispered, looking distinctively pale, "I don't know what happened to Envy. I saw him come through…"

"Then he should be somewhere around here," Snape reassured. "Although, I have no idea how the two of you managed to transport into Hogwarts. There are enough protective spells on the place to, hopefully, stop an army."

"Then I have to find him!"

"He should be fine. There are only a few people here this time of year, and so long as he's not a threat, most of them can be very reasonable."

"I suppose," Ed said, not entirely convinced that Envy_ wasn't_ a threat. He didn't want to leave Envy to people he had never met before, but his stomach was voicing its complaints. He decided he could look after a quick lunch.

The two started off again down the corridor, and up a set of stairs. To Ed's relief, the air warmed as he reached the next floor; his automail ports had been aching in the cold.

He couldn't help but stare in astonishment as he emerged from an archway. Before him was a stone hallway, stretching far into the distance, and lit with dazzling sunlight from floor-to-high ceiling windows lining one side.

"Welcome to Hogwarts."


	4. Enter Envy

**A/N: **So sorry it took a while for this chapter to be posted. Envy is a difficult character to write. Plus, Kay came up with a brilliant plotline for our little story *snaps and claps for Kay!* and I've been going crazy writing plot-pieces. Plus, I've written a few EdxRoy cuteness scenes for later on. Means you will all just have to come back and read more ;)

Special thanks to kuroiwing, ZeroPanda, Red Dawn Rising and 777angeloflove for reviewing multiple times! It's great to know we've already got fans who are sticking with us.

Sorry if we haven't replied specifically to all of you who have reviewed. Kay and I ironed out the little dilemma of who would be doing those replies, so all reviewers should be getting responses from now on! (Gives you incentive to review more, doesn't it?) ;)

Now that I'm done rambling, without further ado, CHAPTER 4!

* * *

Chapter 4

Ouroboros- A symbol of a dragon eating its own tail, making a circle in which is inscribed an alchemic hexagram. The symbol of the ouroboros represents unity, and infinity.

The blue light of alchemy raced around Envy's body, staining his vision with streaks of brightness. He was impressed, his little brother managed to open the gate. But then again, the kid did survive being killed.

After months of searching, they had finally found a way back to Amestris. He didn't care much either way; there was no lure of home or people who loved him to call him back. But it was where Ed was going, and Envy was determined to stay with the only person who had ever treated him like family.

Envy felt a shift under his hands, which felt as if they were pressed to both the transmutation circle drawn on the hard wood floor and nothing at all. The swirling blue light was joined by other colors and the faint outlines of shapes. Then Ed vanished, as if into thin air, and Envy was tossed backward as the transmutation was abruptly broken.

Then there was a sudden burst of pain as his back and head hit the ground hard. If Envy had been human, he would have passed out. But he was a homunculus, and no stranger to the feeling. Plus it was already fading.

He sat up and scanned his surroundings. He was in a deep pine forest. The trees towered above him, speaking of years of undisturbed growth, and light filtered dimly through the thick, leafy canopy. Envy was convinced he was not in Amestris. He had traveled all over the country trying to find someone to make a Philosopher's Stone, and none of the forests looked quite as that one did.

Envy leaped to his feet as leaves crunched behind him, sounding as if they were trod on by a large boot. "Who the hell are you?" he asked in the general direction of the sound. He couldn't see the man yet through the trees, but could sense the presence.

"That's wha' I should be askin' you. Wha's a kid like you doin' wandrin' round the forbidden forest anyway?"

"…kid? Believe me," he said with a smirk, "I'm no kid."

The man stepped out from the shadows of the trees. Envy's eyebrows shot up. The man had to be at _least_ 8 feet tall, and 3 times as wide as Envy himself. And that _beard_; he wouldn't be surprised to find something living in the tangled mass of hair. I mean, _gross_.

"Wha' are you doin' here?" Hagrid repeated.

Envy paused for a moment to think about it. "I don't know. That depends on here, as in this forest, or why are we here as in the purpose of life? And if you do mean the second one… I have an answer, but you won't like it," he finished in a singsong voice.

"…" Hagrid stared at him like he was mental.

"Ok, I get your point, here in this forest. I got separated from my little brother."

"I could take you to Dumbledore; he might know how to find him."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Take me to this Dumbdoor."

"That's Dum-_ble_-dore."

"Yeah, Dumbdoor. Show me to him."

Hagrid turned and walked away, taking steps twice as long as normal. Envy kept up easily. They strode through the forest, the light getting brighter the closer they got to the end. Neither said anything, and Envy kept several feet behind, he didn't want to get close to the beard.

When they finally emerged from the trees, Envy looked at the castle for a moment and tilted his head. "Nice place you got here."

"This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Witches and Wizards huh? The kind that get burned at the stake?" Envy asked with a malicious grin.

Hagrid looked out of the corner of his eye, trying to subtly put some distance between him and this strange young man… woman? No. "Uhhhh, lets move on."

They entered through the large front doors and turned towards Dumbledore's office. Envy didn't even bat an eyelash at the moving staircases or portraits. Finally they stopped in front of a gargoyle. Envy raised an eyebrow. "I really hope this isn't Dumbdore."

Hagrid just said "Pepper Imp", which only caused Envy to look at him stranger. That is, until the gargoyle leaped aside to reveal a staircase moving upward in lazy spirals.

"So, just why will this Dumbdore be able to find Ed when I can't?" Envy asked, climbing onto the stone steps as if moving staircases were the most normal thing in the world.

"Dumbledore. He's the most powerful wizard in the world."

"Really?" Envy asked skeptically, drawing out the word.

"Come in," said a voice from beyond the door when Hagrid knocked.

"Good afternoon sir," said Hagrid, stooping to enter the room. "I've got a kid here who I found in the forbidden forest. Said he lost his young'r brother."

Envy found himself being visually examined by blue eyes behind half-moon spectacles. The silver brows topping those eyes traveled further up the lined forehead as Dumbledore took in Envy's hair and usual attire. Finally, the gaze came to rest on Envy's left thigh, and the expression changed to one of fear and disgust. "Homunculus," the man hissed.

Envy rolled his eyes, his opinion of the man dropping fast. It went from 'potential help' to 'lower life form', and now Dumbledore ranked somewhere around 'Bug'. *Flick* "Really, I think I know that all ready."

"Then what is your purpose here? Come to satiate the homunculus's desire to kill? Or are you here to spy for him perhaps?"

Envy considered the question for a moment, stroking an imaginary goatee. "Well, I hadn't really planned on killing you, but I suppose I could, just for fun."

"You're a monster, just like the rest of your race."

"Sir, that is offensive. I prefer to think of myself as being a monster in a way that is utterly and completely my own." Envy was wearing a trademark maniac grin at this point. Just one more person to be totally frightened of him; he liked it.

It only served to make him smirk more as the 'bug' pulled a thin wooden stick from his sleeve. He couldn't contain his laughter at the fierce expression that came along with said stick. "What are you going to do with that?" Envy mocked. "Poke me?"

He froze in shock, and then literally froze, as the 'bug' said strange words and he felt the tickle of magic. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME?!" He screamed as he struggled against the invisible bonds holding his arms and legs bound still.

"Simple binding spell," said Dumbledore, standing up from his desk and coming over to examine his handy work. The spell was anything but simple, but best to let the creature think it could be easily subdued by magic.

"DAMN YOU YOU UGLY OLD BUG! LET ME GO!" Envy strained against the magic, and could barely contain a smile as he felt it give a miniscule amount. He pushed against it again with all his strength, and felt a shift, this one just fractionally bigger than the last.

"I don't think so. Even if you're not working for him, although I think you are, you are still a dangerous and disgusting monster. A horrible, malformed creation, made only for the purpose of killing and destruction."

Envy let forth a string of the worst curses he knew, in every language he could think of. And when you have 400 years to compile swear words, this is quite a long list. All the while, he pushed at the bonds, slowly winning against the spell bit by bit.

Dumbledore did nothing during this entire tirade. When the homunculus had run out of foul language and breath, he raised an eyebrow. "Are you quite done yet?"

"DON'T STAND THERE ALL SMUG YOU FUCKING BASTARD OF A BUG!" Envy screamed.

Dumbledore ignored the latest insult, instead beginning to pace the room, muttering under his breath about 'storage' and what spells could best contain a homunculus for the longest. Finally he looked up from where he had been studying the floor, his attention now devoted to the fireplace. _Could it work? Yes, _he decided, _it will have to do._

"What the hell are you doing now bug?" Envy asked. He had reduced his tone to normal, not wanting to attract attention to the fact he was gaining range of motion by inches.

Dumbledore threw a powder into his fireplace, turning the flames green. He stuck his head into the fire, and Envy couldn't help but hope the 'bug' had just killed itself. But no, it was not to be. "Kreacher, fetch Sirius."

Envy couldn't help but wonder what other sort of creature the 'bug' was talking to. Could it be that there were others of his kind trapped and bound in this world?

"Ah, Sirius, there you are. I have a problem, one I think you could help me deal with."

Envy sneered. Oh yes, the 'bug' had a large problem. As soon as he got free, he was going to squash that 'bug' under his shoe like it deserved.

"Yes. Yes. A homunculus. I would like to keep it at Grimmauld Place. Good, that's settled then."

Envy didn't get long to wonder just what was settled when he found himself being pulled toward the flames. He rolled his eyes. If this was the man's best attempt at killing him, he was more of a 'bug' than he first imagined. A little fire could do nothing… nothing that wouldn't regenerate anyway.

Just as the discolored flames began to lick around his body, he heard "Number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London." Then he was swirling away, with flashes of color and motion traveling across his vision. When he stopped, he pitched forward and landed with a thump on the floor. "Fuck," he mumbled into the carpet. "What the hell was that about?"

There was a swooshing noise behind him, and what sounded like footsteps, before he was magically hauled up to standing again. Before him was a man with shoulder length black hair and a face that was slightly sallow and gaunt. Dumbledore entered his line of vision, and said to the other man, "Thank you for keeping it here. I know the risks, and be assured, I will come to renew the spells every day to ensure it doesn't escape."

"It's not a problem. Plus, this place has housed monsters before; my family lived here. There is a small room on the top level that isn't used for anything. You can keep it there."

"IT?!" Envy shouted over the two. "I AM NOT AN IT!"

To his rather verbal protests, Envy found himself hoisted off the floor. He bobbed along behind the 'bug' and 'friend of bug' like a kite. On the way up the stairs, Envy, who was still screaming his rage, managed to wake a portrait that made just as much of a racket as he, and the progress stopped in order for the two to wrestle the curtains shut over the canvas while Envy loudly fumed at being left several feet in the air.

Finally the group found itself at the top of the last set of stairs. Envy was pitched into the room unceremoniously with the flick of one of those sticks he was learning to hate. He landed once again on his face, setting of another round of swearing.

He heard the door swing shut behind him, and the 'bug' speaking in a language which he had never heard before. When silence fell, it was joined by more tingling on his skin, and suddenly the give in the spell Envy had worked to gain was gone again. There was also a new feeling to the air, and Envy guessed it to be another restraint. Then a third change and his vocal protests could no longer be heard from the outside.

Envy was left to curse his feelings to the empty air and struggle against his bonds. He grew more annoyed by the minute, along with worried for his brother. What would these 'bugs' who locked him up do to Ed?


	5. Exchange Student

A/N: SORRY SORRY! DON'T KILL US! *Ali and Kay hide from oncoming mob of irrate readers* Sorry we haven't updated in so long. Exam craziness, then holiday crazyness, and updating rather fell by the wayside.

DISCLAIMER: We don't own either of these brilliant stories... and it's heartbreaking. *sob*

We know you've all waited long enough for this chapter, so without further ado:

* * *

Chapter 5

Ed couldn't help but stare as Snape lead him down the long hallway. It was immense. The only time he had seen something so big was at Central Headquarters, and even then it wasn't as impressive. "You said this is a school?"

"Yes."

"Wow. I never really went to school, but from what I know of them, most schools aren't this fancy."

"Muggle schools aren't. However, all of the wizarding schools are impressive, if not in size then in the amount of magic that has settled into the very walls."

"Muggle?" Ed asked curiously.

"People who can't do magic," Snape answered with a light note of distaste.

"You say that like muggles are a lower species." It reminded Ed forcefully of how some alchemists he had met spoke of those who could not, or did not, practice the art. It was also reminiscent of how some people in Germany had thought of Jews. It seemed every world had a group which would be labeled as 'lower' by people who felt the need to reassure themselves of their own importance.

Snape didn't know how to respond to that. Most knew he was prejudiced toward muggles or muggle-borns, and as many shared that opinion themselves, he rarely was called out on it. The comment lent its way to an uncomfortable silence.

"Here," Snape said finally, opening a door in the corridor wall to show a room of more manageable proportions. The inside was furnished with several large couches arranged around a large, low table. Hanging on the wall was a banner separated into four parts. There was a gold lion on a crimson background, a silver snake on green, a black badger on yellow and a silver raven on blue, all surrounding a large letter 'H'. "Have a seat," Snape gestured to the couches.

Ed sank into the cushions with a sigh of relief; the crossing through the Gate had really drained him.

Snape settled into the couch across from the alchemist and waved his wand in the air. The loud crack caused Ed to jump nearly a foot in the air. With the sound had come a short creature with large ears and wrinkled skin which appeared to be wearing stitched together dish towls. "Bring us lunch," Snape ordered the creature.

"Yes sir," it said in a high pitched voice before bowing and disappearing with another crack.

"What was that?" Ed asked once his heart had stopped racing from the shock.

"That is a house elf."

"Care to elaborate." The name alone didn't tell him much.

"They are creatures of human intelligence who have served wizards for centuries. We have quite a few of them here at Hogwarts. They do tasks such as cook, clean, light the fireplaces, and the like."

"Served? Ah, as in unwillingly. Well, I have to say it's not a pleasant surprise to find that this world practices slavery." The more and more he learned about the place, the more he wanted to hurry back to Amestris. It seemed as if there were more prejudices here than he thought.

"Actually, they serve quite willingly. It's in their nature to want to serve wizard-kind."

Ed nodded, but in agreement to his own thoughts. It sure sounded like slavery to him, and the 'want to serve wizard kind' seemed like just an excuse to placate those who didn't want to be associated with the word.

Silence reigned until the house elf reappeared and placed two plates and the appropriate silverware on the table. Ed took one look at the massive pile of food, and started to shovel it into his mouth at an alarming rate. Snape looked at him in disgust. "What?" Ed defended, "I haven't eaten since the early 1900's."

When Ed set down his knife and fork and leaned back into the couch, full and content, Snape had only made it half way through his meal. "So, do you happen to have a map of this place? I need to find my wayward brother."

"There are so many hidden and secret passages that taking an accurate survey on this place would take years, even with magic, and by that time it most likely would have changed again."

Ed whistled. "I feel bad for your students. It must be a nightmare trying to get to class."

"Yes, they get lost quite a bit for the first year or so, but the other students help them out, and so will most of the ghosts."

"Ghosts huh? This world just gets stranger and stranger," Ed mumbled under his breath, "All the more reason to find Envy fast and get the hell out of here."

"I have a suggestion. You could pose as a student here while you try and find your brother and get back to your world."

"As much as I'd like to test my acting skills and play the school kid, I have more important things to attend to."

"Enrolling at Hogwarts could provide beneficial. You would have a reason to be constantly on campus, plus access to the library and a wealth of magical knowledge."

Ed perked up at the word 'library'. He considered for a moment before replying, "Yeah, I see your point. Just one problem, I don't know if I can do magic."

"Well, you can find out right now." Snape held out his wand across the table.

Ed took it with a wary expression. "This thing isn't going to blow up on me, is it?"

"Um… no. Hold it in your dominant hand."

"…Ok. I'm not sure which to use. I used to be right handed, but automail can't write, so I've gotten used to doing things with my left."

"Magic flows through the body itself. Just use your flesh hand."

Ed gripped the wand in his left hand, still regarding it as he would a bomb, and gave an experimental flick… "Was something supposed to happen?"

"Try again."

Ed flicked it again, with more force. Still nothing. "I guess I don't have magic then."

Snape thought it over for a moment. "Well, you can probably fake almost everything wizards can do with your alchemy."

"Why do you want me to come here so badly?"

"As I've already seen, you have quite a talent for potions. It would be a welcome change to have a competent student for once. Plus, we're in the middle of a war, and need every advantage we can get. You're alchemy could put us a step ahead of them, as it is thought to be a dead art."

"Sounds fair enough, but how am I supposed to explain myself? Before today I didn't even exist on this world, much less have a good reason to be attending Hogwarts."

Both paused to consider for a moment, although Ed realized anything he came up with would probably not work. He didn't know enough about this world, these people or their customs to create a valid excuse.

"How about this, I could say you are my nephew, who went to Beaubatons before this. You came here because you wanted to learn about different cultures."

"I suppose, if you think it could work."

"Yes," Snape told him. Then to himself: "I would need to take care of tuition and money for books…"

"Wait, hold up. I can get the money on my own."

"Not enough before the start of term."

"I'm not going to take charity."

"Think of it as a loan. You can work it off by helping me make potions after class on Fridays."

A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Ed's mouth. "You've got a deal." He put out his flesh hand and they shook on it.

Snape rose from the couch and made for the door, throwing a "Follow me," over his shoulder.

Ed scrambled up and jogged slightly to catch up with the teacher. _Damn tall people and their long strides_. "Where are we going?"

"We need to talk to Dumbledore about enrolling you as an exchange student."

"Who's Dumbledore?"

"The wizard in charge of the school."

* * *

Ed couldn't help but stare at the massive gargoyle. "So this is Dumbledore? Doesn't look like much of a wizard to me."

"That's because it's not. Pepper Imp."

The gargoyle leaped aside. Ed's jaw hit the floor. After a minute he composed himself. "I'm assuming that this is another magical thing?" he asked as he followed Snape through the doorway. The moving staircase was another source of wonder, and Ed suddenly decided he was glad to have enrolled here. He couldn't wait to get his hands on the books that detailed how all of this was done.

Snape rapped on the door and a voice came from the other side, "Enter." Snape opened the door and Ed was hustled inside. He found himself face to face with an old wizard with long white hair and beard. Twinkling blue eyes stared at him over half-moon spectacles. "And who might this be Severus?"

"This is my nephew headmaster. He would like to enroll here in Hogwarts." Snape said without preamble.

"I never knew you had any siblings Severus." Dumbledore said, frowning slightly.

Snape pulled a very convincing face. "I don't like to talk about my sister. My mother took her in the divorce. We never saw much of each other as children."

"He doesn't look much like you," he commented.

"He takes after his father." Snape informed him dryly.  
Ed scowled. "The 'he' is right here, and he has a name. I'm Edward."

"It's nice to meet you Edward." Dumbledore offered a hand to Ed.

Ed hesitated; Dumbledore had offered his right hand. That wasn't going to work. "Yeah… I don't really shake hands."

Dumbledore smiled, retracted his hand, and tactfully changed the subject. "Where did you go to school previously?"

Snape cut in swiftly, "He went to Beaubatons."

"So why did you decide to leave France, Edward?" He asked kindly.

Ed sweated for a moment before realizing that France must be the location of his supposed previous school. "Well sir, my parents decided that they wanted me to travel to new places so that I could gain a new perspective, and learn about new places. And I couldn't agree more," Ed said, turning up the charm. Al always said he could be a real charmer when he put his mind to it. "So, Uncle Sev offered to take me under his wing for a while. I was absolutely thrilled. I've always heard what a wonderful school Hogwarts is and I was so excited when Uncle Sev offered me this opportunity." Ed gushed, looking up innocently at Professor Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled back at Ed, unable resist the wide, almost childlike golden eyes. "Well we're certainly happy to have you here with us Edward. I look forward to having you as one of our students. I hope that you find our school to live up to your expectations."

"Thank you very much Sir." Ed said doing his best to emulate Al's cheerful and innocent personality.

Dumbledore looked fondly at Ed. _Who would have thought that the cold and temperamental Severus would have such a sweet and adorable nephew_. "We need to arrange for you to have somewhere to stay until the start of term. You can't possibly stay at the castle all on your own; it would be dreadfully boring. Not to mention you will need someone to take you to Diagon Alley to buy your supplies for the start of term, and Severus simply does not have the time."

"Alright then. What do you have in mind?"

"There is a place which you could stay before the start of term, but I must ask you to keep this to yourself. As you are Severus's nephew, I am sure you are quite trustworthy."

"I can do that," he said casually. He didn't really care where he went, so long as there was food, books and a bed.

"Severus, if you could escort Edward to Grimmauld Place, I would be grateful. I have a few things to finish up here."

Ed turned to leave, knowing a dismissal when he heard one. Snape swept out behind him. Ed worried about leaving Envy until the start of term, but he knew the homunculus was more than capable of taking care of himself.


	6. Meet the Weasleys

**A/N** Special props to Xxmgxx3445xX for reminding us of the Snape Sirius relationship. Although it pains our authors' pride to say it, we didn't even think about it, so thanks so much for helping to make our story better!

Happy reading! ~Kay and Ali

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"Wait, I'm staying here?" Ed said, looking around at the run down street. Paint peeled from walls, windows had been smashed in, and no one had collected the trash in what looked like years.

"Yes, it's a bit unappealing, isn't it?" Said Snape snidely. "Number twelve Grimmauld place wouldn't have been my first pick for headquarters."

"Isn't there something missing," Ed inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"And what would that be?"

"The house!" Ed exclaimed, pointing from number eleven to number thirteen, which sat side by side.

"Oh yes, I forgot." Snape fished out a piece of parchment from an inner pocket of his robes and passed it to Ed. "Read this."

Ed took the parchment and unfolded it. In spidery writing, it read **'The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve Grimmauld Place, London' **"Ok… I already knew that." He was about to continue when a dilapidated building pushed it's way up from between number eleven and number thirteen. "…Oh."

Snape strode up the worn and crumbling front steps and drew his wand from his robes. He tapped on the door once and Ed heard the sound of many bolts sliding away before the door swung open.

Ed stepped over the threshold onto the unraveling carpet and looked around him. Cobwebs decorated the old-fashioned gas lamps and chandelier overhead, and the wallpaper was beginning to separate from the walls. It smelled like dust and something rotting, and Ed could swear he heard mice running behind the molding. "Nice place you got here."

"Thankfully, it's not mine. It belongs to the former convict Sirius Black." Snape turned up his nose in disgust.

"Convict huh," Ed said absentmindedly, studying the aged and crooked portraits hanging on the walls.

"There you are Snivilus," came a rough, annoyed voice from a stairway leading up into darkness, "Dumbledore told me to expect you an hour ago."

"Something came up." Snape sneered through gritted teeth.

Sirius Black stepped down into the meager light filtering through the grimy windows. He was pale and sallow, with a thin face and sunken eyes that looked wearily out at the world. "Who's the kid Snivilus? He must not have been around long; he's not running for cover yet."

"If you must know, this is my nephew, Edward Snape."

Ed shot Severus an irritated look. When had they decided that?

Sirius looked from Ed to Severus in shock. "This little blondie is your nephew? The two of you look nothing alike."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE COULD BE CRUSHED BY A PEBBLE!"

"He takes after his father," Severus said, smoothly interrupting the rant that was sure to follow. "Dumbledore asked me to take him here for the remainder of the summer holidays, as he will be joining us at Hogwarts as an exchange student in the coming term."

Sirius was still staring in disbelief. "You're seriously related to the slime ball?" He asked quietly so only Ed could hear.

"Yeah, although I do wash my hair regularly," Ed stated cooly.

Snape had began to move down the hall towards the kitchen. "Show Ed to his room Black," he said without turning around. "I have other business to attend to."

"I am not your servant Snivilus! And that business had better not be my pantry!" Sirius snarled before stomping up the stairs with Ed trailing behind him.

Ed had to wonder, what was the history between those two? "What's the deal with you and Uncle Sev?" He asked.

"What's the deal? What's the deal! I'll tell you what the deal is! Your uncle is an arrogant, slimy, grease ball of a Slytherin, who couldn't give a damn for anyone other than himself!"

Ed looked at Sirius reproachfully. "He's not that bad you know," feeling the need to defend his new _'uncle'_.

"You're his nephew; I bet you're a coldblooded snake just like him." Sirius pushed open the first door in the upstairs hallway before turning and stalking down the stairs with an affronted air.

"Well, he's friendly," Ed murmured to himself, before stepping inside his new room and closing the door behind him. Shadows pooled inside, seeming to cling to the high ceiling and corners. Two twin beds shared floor space with a wardrobe. The painting on the wall, indistinguishable because of age, was… wait no, that couldn't be… was that picture muttering at him?

"I've had worse," Ed reminded himself as he surveyed his new abode.

The next morning, Ed was woken bright and early by the sound of awful shrieking from down the stairs. He threw on his jacket and gloves to cover his automail before rushing out to the landing to find the source of the commotion, and perhaps give someone a piece of his mind.

The lower hallway was swarming with people, most of them red-headed. The shrieking seemed to be coming from a large portrait. Sirius was attempting to draw curtains over it with the help of a stout woman and a tall man with a receding hairline. Several teenagers, three boys and two girls, were clustered at the base of the stairs, trying to keep out of the way and covering their ears.

Ed vaguely remembered Sirius telling him over their rather quiet dinner about the wizarding family which would be arriving the next day. He just wished they could have arrived a bit later, like when he had actually woken up.

"There we are," said the woman, the curtains finally closed and the wails cut off.

"What in the world was that?" Ed asked. All heads turned to stare at him.

"I didn't know you were going to have another guest Sirius," remarked the man.

"I didn't either. This is Snivelus's nephew, who I found myself stuck with as of yesterday."

Ed rolled his eyes. First thing in the morning, and already the man was being a jerk. He made his way down the stairs, careful of his steps so his left wouldn't sound heavier than the right. "I'm Edward, but call me Ed."

"I'm sorry if we woke you, dear," said the woman, taking in his rumpled jacket and hair falling around his shoulders. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Molly Weasly." She offered a hand.

"Nice to meet you," Ed replied, not offering a hand in return.

Mrs. Weasly drew back her hand a bit awkwardly, but quickly recovered and started rattling off names. "That there is my husband, Arthur," she pointed to the man. "Those are the twins, Fred and George," she gestured toward two nearly identical boys, making no distinction as to which was which. "This is Ron," indicating a tall gangly boy with freckles across his nose who raised a hand in a slight wave. "And there are Ginny and Hermione."

"Great. I'm going back to sleep, or to find food, whichever comes first."

"Breakfast is in the kitchen," Sirius put in, only a mild chill to his voice.

Ed followed his nose to where a large array of food was laid out. The cooking had obviously done with the new editions in mind. Ed piled a plate high with a bit of everything, and had just sat down to eat when the girl with bushy brown hair and large front teeth poked her head around the doorway.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she told him, "I don't know if you got which of us were which."

Ed didn't reply, more interested in his breakfast.

"I didn't know Professor Snape had a nephew?"

Ed got the feeling this was the kind of girl that wouldn't leave him alone until he gave her some sort of answer. "I didn't see much of Uncle Sev growing up."

"Where did you go to school then? Obviously not Hogwarts, or you would have seen a lot of him."

"Beaubatons," Ed replied between massive bites. Silence reigned for long moments, and Ed used this as an opportunity to put a dent in his pile of food.

"Your English is very good. You don't have an accent at all."

"Practice. Now if you don't mind, I'm going back to bed." It was too early in the morning to deal with people being nosy; he just didn't have the patience for it.

He navigated his way through the jumble of people, luggage and animals in the front hall, and climbed the stairs back up to his room. He flopped back on his bed, feeling almost more tired then when he went to sleep the previous night. He pulled his arms out of his jacket and turned on his side, planning on getting a few more hours of rest.

"Who knew the slimeball actually had a family?" Ron remarked once all the Weasleys had arranged themselves around the kitchen table.

"Ron! Don't be rude!" Mrs. Weasley scolded her son.

"How come he's staying with you instead of Professor Snape?" Hermione asked Sirius.

Sirius shrugged, "I don't know. He didn't tell me anything."

"Maybe the kid has some sense and decided he didn't want to stay with Snape," George put in.

"I don't think so," Sirius said skeptically. "Those two seem to be cut from the same cloth."

"He seemed a bit unsociable," Mrs. Weasley agreed, attempting to not sound as if she was making judgments.

"Yes, he didn't say very much. He didn't seem to want to talk to me at all." Hermione scowled into her plate, offended by the newcomer's obvious lack of interest.

Fred and George exchanged glances. "I'm sure we could get the kid to talk."

"Don't you dare try anything with him," Mrs. Weasley warned, pointing her fork at them threateningly. "If I find out you did anything to him…"

"Don't worry mom, we won't hurt him," Fred cut in.

"Permanently," George added under his breath.

"Well you two certainly won't be able to room with Ed," Mr. Weasley informed the twins. "I guess that means you will be sharing with him Ron."

"Wait! Why me! Why not Hermione?"

"Ron," Mr. Weasley began with an expression of long suffering patience, "Hermione is a girl."

"Oh… right." Ron got up from the table, deciding to exit while his pride was still somewhat in tact. He ruined the effect by catching his foot on the table leg and going sprawling across the floor. He quickly scrambled to his feet. "I meant to do that," he said, going red to the tips of his ears. He turned his back on the group, who were all trying not to laugh, and stalked up the stairs.

Ed woke to the sound of the door creaking open. He blinked several times and sat up, covers pooling around his waist. One of the red haired boys was backing through the doorway, carrying an enormous, battered, wooden trunk.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. There aren't enough rooms for all of us; we're going to have to share…" Ron trailed off as he turned around, taking in the automail glinting in the morning sunlight, clearly visible without Ed's coat to cover it.

Ed scrambled to pull the sheets over his arm, but it was too late; Ron had already seen.

"You have a metal arm!"


	7. The Truth Behind Truths

A/N

Disclaimer: Neither Fullmetal Alchemist or Harry Potter were our brilliant creations... however much we wish they were.

Here is the long awaited new chapter, so we won't bore you with the usual babble. Enjoy!

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Chapter 7

Envy sat in the corner of the small, dark closet, arms wrapped around his knees. His head was bowed, and his long green hair tumbled forward around his shoulders, hiding his face. To anyone else it looked like he had given up, but he was fighting against the bonds. "I hate that damn bug," he growled under his breath and forced his arms out another fraction of an inch. The old wizard had renewed the spell only moments ago, and Envy was entertaining the thought of squashing the bug permanently more and more.

The spells around him itched relentlessly, and it was driving him crazy. Although, it was better than at first, when they had burned fiercely. He was building up a resistance to the magic that kept him locked in and away from his Chibi. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the weave of the spell. He was beginning to sense flaws in the magic, like thin spots in cloth. He gathered his strength and lashed out at the thin places violently.

"There we go!" he shouted as the bonds on his body shattered with a loud crack. "As if those damn, stupid bugs could hold _me_!"

He ran to the door and began pounding on the layer of magic separating him from the hallway beyond. "DAMNIT! Why does this one have to be stronger?!"

* * *

Ed and Ron were engaged in an epic staring battle. After a few tense moments, Ed sighed. "Are you going to say anything?"

"… you have a _metal arm_."

"Yes, I believe you've already said that," Ed said in exasperation.

Ron looked away awkwardly. "Yeah, but…"

Ed sighed again. "Come in and put that down, it's probably heavy," he said pointing at the trunk Ron was still holding. Ed disentangled himself from his sheets and went and locked the door. He sat on the edge of his bed and gestured for Ron to sit on the bed opposite. "Can you keep a secret?"

Ron sat and shrugged, still staring at Ed's arm.

"I suppose I explain this first," Ed said, lifting the automail and flexing the fingers. "It's called automail. It's like a prosthetic arm, but it's wired to my nerves, so it picks up the signal from my brain and moves like a real limb. My left leg is the same."

After Ron got over his shock, he asked, "Why? How?"

Ed crossed his legs and leaned back, knowing they were going to be there a while. "I might as well start at the beginning. And if I'm going to start at the beginning, I might as well tell you, the only thing you know about me that is true is my first name. I'm not Snape's nephew; my name is really Edward Elric. And I'm an alchemist, not a wizard."

"An alchemist? But that's a dead art. The last living alchemist, Nicolas Flammel, died four years ago… and he was hundreds of years old."

Ed sat up straighter giving Ron a questioning look. "Nicolas Flammel? I've heard of him, and read some of his works. And my teacher's alchemy symbol was called a Flammel. Here," he offered his flesh arm for Ron to examine.

Ron drew in a sharp breath, thinking at first that it was the dark mark on the inside of Ed's left wrist. But then he looked closer, and saw it was a cross, not a skull, that the serpent twined around. "You should keep that covered. People will think you're a death eater."

"Yeah, thanks for the warning, but Uncle Sev already told me about this Voldemort guy and his followers. A symbol like this is their mark, right?"

Ron flinched, "Don't say that name, but yes. Anyway, you were saying?"

"Alright. So, like I said, I'm not a wizard. Oh, and I'm not from this world either. I'm from a parallel universe, where I lived in a place called Amestris."

"What?! You're _not from this world!_"

"Nope. And if you keep interrupting, we're going to be here for a really long time."

Ron looked down, embarrassed by his outburst. "Sorry," he apologized, the tips of his ears going red.

"So I lived with my brother Al and our mother in this little town called Resembool. Al is one year younger than me. We both were obsessed with doing alchemy from when we were little, because it made our mom smile. We didn't know at the time that mom was sick. She never said anything, and by the time we found out it was too late… she died.

"Al and I studied under an alchemist for years to get good enough to attempt the taboo."

"What's the taboo?" Ron asked.

"Human transmutation. You see, alchemy follows the principle of equivalent exchange. You can't create something from nothing; it goes against the laws of nature. That's why attempting to bring a human back to life is forbidden. While you can gather together all the elements that make up a human body, what is equal the worth of a human soul?

"But we were young, and thought we knew better. I only thought someone slapped a forbidden label on it so they wouldn't have to admit they failed. I thought I could do it, because I was arrogant and wanted it bad enough. I was such an idiot. In the attempt, I lost my left leg, and Al lost his whole body. I gave my right arm to bind his soul to a suit of armor."

"Wait, so your brother was a walking, talking, empty suit of armor?"

Ed smiled up at him, "That's Al. At least it was… I hope, but I'm getting ahead of myself. So Al carried me to the Rockbells, who are close friends of the family. That's when Roy Mustang showed his pretty boy face."

"Who's Roy Mustang?"

"Now listen here, Roy Mustang is an EVIL, MANIPULATIVE, PYROMANIAC, WOMANIZING, _HOT, BASTARD OF A COLONEL_!" Ed shouted, leaping up from the bed. He stood for a moment fuming, until that one little word, unconsciously slotted into his rant, made its meanings known. He had to fight down the blush that threatened to color his cheeks and hope Ron hadn't noticed that one word either. _Did I really say that out loud?! But I didn't mean it… did I?_

"Okaay, I see," Ron said, clearly not seeing at all and completely oblivious to Ed's embarrassment.

Ed sat back down, "So Mustang shows up and offers me a place in the Amestris military, as a state alchemist. I decided I would do it, so I could research and find a way to get Al his body back. Luckily for me, Winry and Aunty Pinako are automail mechanics. They were the ones who fixed me up with this arm and leg, so I could go to Central, and take the alchemy exam. I passed at the age of twelve, the youngest state alchemist in the history of the military.

"That's where I first learned about the Philosopher's Stone."

"What's that?" Ron asked, "I've heard of a Sorcerer's Stone, but never a Philosopher's Stone."

"It's a mythical alchemic object, said to amplify alchemy to the point where one can bypass the law of equivalent exchange. We wanted to find it so I could restore Al's body. In the process we found out about homunculi, or artificial humans. They are made when an alchemist performs a human transmutation. There are seven of them, named for the seven deadly sins, Greed, Pride, Wrath, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, and Envy. We created Sloth when we attempted to bring mom back to life, and Envy is my brother, on _that bastard's_ side of the family."

"And who exactly is that bastard?" Ron questioned.

Ed clenched his fists, "_That bastard_ is our father. He left when we were little, and never came back, not even for mom's funeral. Turns out he was more of a jerk than I imagined, a four hundred year old jerk who kept on transferring his soul into different bodies to stay alive. Envy was his son, who got into some chemicals in my father's storeroom which he had left unlocked. He died of mercury poisoning, so my father attempted a human transmutation. He created Envy, but abandoned him, calling him a monster. Envy's mother, Dante, fed him fragments of the Philosopher's Stone, and twisted him around inside to hate all life.

"Turns out, Dante was pulling the strings behind the homunculi, who were trying to get Al and I to create a Philosopher's Stone. We learned that it could be made, but required human sacrifice, on a large scale. Once, Envy, Lust and Gluttony tried to force me to make a Philosopher's Stone using the lives of hundreds of military prisoners."

"Wait a minute," Ron interrupted, "This Envy person sounds evil if he was going to make you kill all those people… so why did it sound like you're sorry for him?"

"It wasn't his fault!" Ed shouted, springing to his feet again in defense of his older brother. "Dante twisted his mind! Made him believe that he himself was a monster, and killing was his only option."

"Ok, ok, I get it!" Ron held up his hands in surrender, hoping that the enraged alchemist wouldn't hurt him.

"Sorry." Ed sighed tiredly, sitting back down on the edge of the bed and running his flesh hand over his face. "So, Al wound up turned into the Philosopher's Stone, and that's a long story. Not one I think I want to tell today either. But, since he was the Stone, Dante had some of her homunculi kidnap Al. I tracked them down, and we fought. I got killed, and Al used the Stone to bring me back, but he disappeared. So I sacrificed myself to hopefully bring Al back, and I think it worked because I had this dream…" Ed resisted the urge to sniffle at the memory; he didn't want Ron thinking he was a softie. "I wound up here with Envy. Well not here exactly, some place called Germany in the 1920s, right in the buildup of a big war. We opened the Gate again and got shoved into this world and time."

Ron sat silent for a moment, looking both stunned and confused. "So let me get this straight… your brother was a walking suit of armor, you joined the military when you were a kid, and… wait, did you say you _died_?!"

"Yep. Not an experience I'd like to repeat any time soon though."

"Wow," Ron said, and ran a hand through his bright orange hair, "Just wow."

A silence fell over the room, but it wasn't uncomfortable. "You know, it's a relief to have someone closer to my age to confide in," Ed confessed after a moment.

"Glad to help I suppose," Ron mumbled. "But why me?"

Ed shrugged. "I guess I didn't have much of a reason. You saw my automail, and something about you just seems… innocent. It remindes me a bit of Al."

Both boys jumped as an earsplitting crack echoed through the house. On instinct, Ed clapped his hands and created his signature blade out of his automail. Ron slipped off the edge of the bed in shock and landed on the floor with a thump.

"What the hell was that?" Ed asked.

"I don't know. Sounded a bit like someone aperating." Ron untangled his sprawl of limbs and dusted off the seat of his pants. "Could you put that away?"

"Oh this, sorry." Ed clapped his hands and the blade returned to his normal arm. "Instinct."

A series of loud banging noises came from over their heads, and then stopped abruptly.

"That didn't sound like aperating," Ron commented.

"Let's investigate." Ed threw on his coat and slid a glove over the automail before poking his head out the door. He gestured with his hand for Ron to follow him.

He climbed a set of stairs at the end of the hallway. Ron trailed after him, and they found themselves standing in another hall. This one was much darker and dirtier. Dust swirled up around their feet as they stepped carefully on the aged and creaking floorboards, making Ron cough. He lit his wand, revealing that the low-ceilinged attic was in even worse repair than the lower levels. A few warped, wooden doors stood shut tight on either side of the hallway. It smelled of mildew, and mold was beginning to grow in the corners and on the ceiling.

"I'm shocked this place hasn't come crashing down around our ears." Ed remarked casually, as if the house falling apart was no big deal.

"It's a wizarding home… it probably has spells keeping it together," Ron told him, but he didn't sound entirely sure.

"Well _that's_ reassuring." Ed let a hint of sarcasm leak into his voice.

"It doesn't look like anyone is up here, aside from the mice," Ron said after a moment. "If those sounds were the twins trying to scare us, I swear, I'll jinx them into jelly."

"We should check these rooms just in case."

Ron nodded, and they were about to start when a faint voice called from down the stairs. "That would be mum. We should go see what she wants."

Ed grumbled, but followed Ron down the stairs. He was annoyed at not getting the chance to look properly; he felt that there was something important up there he needed to find. He was determined to come back later, maybe at night, when he could explore uninterrupted.


	8. Diagon Alley

A/N: We know it's been a while. Sorry for the wait, so we'll just let you get reading. ~Kay and Ali

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Chapter 8

The main hallway was swarming with wizards, all speaking in low voices so as to not wake the portrait. Mrs. Weasley worked her way toward them through the jumble of bodies. "There you are boys. Everyone is in the kitchen already." She ushered them through into the room and closed the door with a sigh. The twins, Ginny and Hermione were standing in front of the lit fireplace.

"Who were they?" Ed inquired.

"They're here for the Order meeting," Mrs. Weasley informed him, but offered no further explanation. "Have you been to Diagon Alley before dear?"

"No."

"Then we'll go to The Leakey Cauldron so we don't loose you."

Ron snickered.

"What is it?" Ed asked.

"Harry, my mate, got himself landed in Nocturn Alley once. Mum hasn't forgotten."

Ed raised an eyebrow skeptically, "Aren't you a bit young to have a mate?"

Ron blushed a deep red that extended to the tips of his ears. "Not like that. Around here mate means friend."

Ed decided to not reply for fear of putting his foot in his mouth again. He looked back toward the fireplace where one of the twins, he couldn't tell which, took a pinch of powder from a pot on the hearth and tossed it into the flames. Ed jumped a bit as the flames roared a bright green and the red-haired teen stepped into the fire, saying "The Leakey Cauldron."

"What the hell?!" Ed exclaimed keeping his voice low so only Ron heard him. He figured this was something he was expected to know about.

"It's called the Floo network," Ron explained to him in a whisper. "You take some of the Floo Powder there, toss it on the fire and say where you want to go. It takes you there, through the fireplace."

Ed waited and watched as the rest of the teens all disappeared into the oddly colored flames. He couldn't help but think about Mustang, who would love the idea that fire could take you places. He shook his head to clear it, thinking _no, no, no, you do not miss him._

When it was his turn, Ed gulped and stepped forward onto the hearth. He reached into the pot and took a pinch of green powder and threw it on the fire. He eyed the flames with suspicion; the idea of willingly walking into a fire made him slightly nervous. But it was expected that he did this like he had traveled by Floo a hundred times before. Ed took a deep breath and moved into the fire, saying "The Leaky Cauldron." Without warning he was whisked away, spinning at top speed. His arms bumped against the sides of the chimneys and soot stung at his eyes. The speed at which the fireplaces flashed past made his stomach churn. Ed suddenly pitched forward towards the hearth. Remembering all of the times Izumi had thrown him into the dirt, he instinctively tucked, rolled, and came up standing. He coughed and wiped at his streaming eyes with his now soot-darkened gloves, leaving a streak of ash across his face.

He looked up into five faces wearing looks of shock and amazement.

"Whoa! How did you do that?" asked one twin.

"And can you teach us?" finished the other.

"Uhhh, they had a physical defense course at my old school," he pulled out of thin air. He looked down at his blackened gloves and sighed in exasperation. He normally could just clean them with alchemy, but he couldn't perform a transmutation with all the wizards watching.

Sensing his dilemma, Ron took pity on him. He pulled out his wand and performed a quick cleaning charm before telling Ed, "Move over, mum's coming through behind you."

Mrs. Weasley made a much less dramatic entrance. "Alright, here are your supply lists," she said, pulling a stack of envelopes out of her pocket and passing them around. She handed Ed a small cloth sack with his, which contained several gold, silver and bronze coins.

"Mrs. Weasley, you don't have to pay for my supplies," Ed began.

"Not to worry dear," Mrs. Weasley cut in, "Your Uncle gave this to me on his way to the meeting."

Ed slit open his letter with an automail finger and pulled out the two heavy sheets of parchment. The first was a letter from Dumbledore, stating his acceptance as a foreign exchange student and the beginning date of term. The second was a list of books for fifth year students. There were only two assigned, _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5,_ by Miranda Goshawk and _Defensive Magical Theory,_ by Wilbert Slinkhard. Listed below were the other standard course books and supplies which he would not already have as an exchange student.

They made their way through the Leaky Cauldron, which turned out to be a pub with some very interesting patrons, and into a weed-ridden back courtyard. Ed raised an eyebrow, wondering why they were all packed into the small, high walled space. It seemed to him there was no reason for it. But then Mrs. Weasley pulled out her wand and tapped a brick on the wall. The wall shifted aside to create a wide archway looking onto a street lined with shops.

Ed trailed behind Ron, his head swiveling back and forth as he tried to take in everything at once. Aside from the strange items displayed in the windows, it reminded him a bit of walking down the busy streets in Central. He felt a pang of homesickness for the city he had called home for four years.

Ron laughed. "You're going to give yourself whiplash, mate."

Ed scowled, uncomfortable with being called a _mate_. The scowl quickly changed into a worried expression as he read the sign over a small shop crammed between the buildings on either side. Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. "I don't have a wand," he whispered. "I'm guessing I'm supposed to already have one of those."

"Oh yeah, that's a problem."

"Can we stop here?" Ed called to Mrs. Weasley, who was leading the bunch.

"Ollivanders?"

"My old wand broke about a month ago, and I wanted to wait, because I've heard Ollivanders makes good wands." Ed gave her a smile, did his best to look innocent, and hoped his excused sounded reasonable.

"Of course dear," Mrs. Weasley said, completely convinced.

A bell chimed from over the doorway as Ed entered the shop. The space was small and full of dust that threatened to make him sneeze. The long, thin boxes piled to the ceiling behind the counter looked as if they could topple at any moment.

"Hello," said a soft voice as an old man with white hair and silvery eyes emerged from somewhere behind the stacks. "Who do have we here?"

"Hi, I'm Ed. My old wand broke. I need a new one." Ed jumped a bit as a tape measure floated over to him and began taking his measurements on its own.

"Oh what a terrible shame." Ollivander said before moving to pull out several boxes and set them on the counter. "Well we shall certainly find you a new match then." He handed Ed a wand before snatching it back away immediately, shaking his head. He passed him another, and grabbed that one just as fast. This continued through a dozen or so wands, and Ed's patience was starting to run short. He was worried it would seem strange if he got through too many wands with absolutely no reaction at all. He decided it was time to fake it.

When Ollivander handed him the next wand, he let it slip from his fingers. He quickly caught it between his palms, and performed a transmutation, creating a small red light, like the one that had accompanied Lyra's attack in the town of Youswell.

"It looks like we have found a compatible wand. Ash wood, dragon heartstring, eight inches, flexible, a very good wand." Ed couldn't care less what it was made of if he was allowed to leave with his cover still intact.

"Great, I'll take it. How much?"

"Seven gold Galleons," Ollivander told him, taking the wand. He placed it in the box and wrapped it before handing it over to Ed.

Ed swiftly counted out the gold coins and handed them to the old man before beating a fast retreat. He sighed as he went out the door of Ollivanders, the bell tinkling behind him. He was intensely glad that ordeal was over with. Hopefully the rest of the trip would be less stressful.

His hopes came crashing down again as Mrs. Weasley announced the next stop was a robe shop to get Ron's uniform let out and Ed fitted for his Hogwarts robes. "Oh this is not going to end well he groaned under his breath." He was worried he would be forced to undress for the fitting and reveal his automail.

Mrs. Weasley ushered the group into _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_. A squat witch he assumed to be Madam Malkin directed him and Ron to stand on footstools and draped their uniforms over their heads.

His impression of the woman was considerably lessened by the first words out of her mouth, which were, "Are you a first year student?" She asked Ed as she pinned his robe to the right length.

"Actually," Ed said through gritted teeth, taking her comment for a jibe about his height, "I'm a fifth year exchange student."

Ed did his best to ignore Madam Malkin's idle chatter until he was done with his fitting. He was relieved when the witch finally pulled the annoying garment over his head.

"Why don't you go find a hat that fits, dear," Madam Malkin told him while she took Ron's measurements.

Ed grabbed one of the pointed hats from the shelf. He held the black cloth cone out in front of him at arms length by the tip with two automail fingers. He looked at it disdainfully. "_This_ is a hat? Am I seriously supposed to wear this? You've got to be kidding me." _This is worse than the hat that comes with the military uniform. Although… Roy could probably pull it off. _He mentally slapped himself for thinking that.

He debated purposefully leaving the bag containing his new uniform when he and Ron left, but he would probably just be sent back to get it. The rest of the trip was infinitely more interesting. First was a stop at the apothecary to replenish potions supplies. Ed was fascinated, while most of the group wrinkled their noses at the smell and tried to ignore the strange things in jars floating in liquids. "He's definitely Snape's nephew," Ginny commented to Hermione.

Next was the bookstore. Upon entering, Ed looked as if he had died and gone to heaven. He immediately gravitated toward the nearest bookshelf and began scanning through whatever he could reach. He had to be physically dragged out of the store. He was disappointed at not getting to spend hours with the fascinating volumes, but he had found a few books on transportation magic which he thought could be useful in discovering a way to return to Amestris.

Lastly was the pet shop, which the girls practically dragged a reluctant Ed into after learning he had never owned an animal before. Ed got a little ball of orange fluff with a tiger-stripe pattern, which twined about his feet, purring, the moment he walked through the door. It reminded him of the kitten which very nearly became Mustang's pet due to his battle assessment. He decided he would give him to Al as a present once he got back, and would leave the naming to his brother. In the meantime he could just call it Cat. It was logical after all. As Al's cat, Al should be the one to name him.

They got sidetracked on the way back to the Leaky Cauldron as Ron, Ginny and the twins all stopped to ogle the newest broomsticks in the Quidditch store. Ron attempted to explain the game to Ed in hushed tones, but the concept completely escaped the alchemist. He thought it sounded fairly stupid to risk one's neck by hovering high above the ground on a stick. What was the point?

On the way back, Ed noticed that Ron had fallen completely silent, and walked so his feet scuffed the cobblestones. "What's up?" he asked the forlorn red-head.

"Mum only chose this day to go to Diagon Alley because the Order's having a big meeting. They're planning to rescue Harry, and she doesn't want me to go along."

"I know rescue missions sound great and everything, but the truth is they really suck. You're not missing anything, trust me." He headed back to the Leaky Cauldron, leaving Ron to sulk.


End file.
